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Your Failures do not have to be Fatal

                I have wasted the last month looking for tires for my daughter’s truck.  I have been to every tire store in town.  I have searched the internet for deals.  I even bought a tire-changer so that I could install used tires if I found some good ones. 
                After seeing all of this, some of my friends have accused me of being “cheap”.  However, that is not the issue.  In fact, I eventually ordered new tires from one of the shops in town and I was happy about it.  I was not cheap.  I was scared of making a bad decision. 
                I hate being wrong and that is a problem!
                We all want others to think that we have our lives together and that we are capable of handling anything that comes our way.  That is good!  I believe that people should try to do their best all the time.  However, when we over emphasize the need to be right in everything, we create a culture where mistakes must be hidden and where we only talk about the good things that we do.  Unfortunately, when we demand perfection it leaves no room for failure and without failure, you cannot succeed!  Failure is an essential part of learning.  In fact, the only way to avoid making mistakes is to do nothing and that, in itself, is the biggest mistake.
                Therefore, maybe it is time to be a little more honest.  Maybe it is time to stop pretending as if we “have it all together” and be real with each another.  Maybe we need should stop parading all of our victories and be brave enough to talk about some of our defeats. In doing so, we will not only help someone else, but we will also free ourselves from our own unrealistic expectations.
                Admitting that I am not good enough on my own is the first step to the life that God wants me to live.  After all, it is only when we are able to admit our imperfections that we are able to accept God’s grace.  As Romans 3:23-24 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”.
                It is time for a new story.  One that revolves around God’s greatness and not mine.

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